Purdue (9-4) vs. Minnesota (8-5)
January 2, 2025 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Minnesota +7.5; Over/Under: 136.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Purdue Boilermakers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers meet Thursday in college basketball action from Williams Arena. Here’s a Minnesota vs Purdue prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Minnesota vs Purdue pick.
Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
The Boilermakers’ season got off to a pretty promising start. Purdue opened with seven wins in their first eight games, losing to only Marquette on November 19. Otherwise, it was victories over Texas A&M-CC, Northern Kentucky, Yale, Alabama, Marshall, NC State, and Ole Miss during that time. It’s been a pretty spotty run over the last five games for Purdue, though. In that time the Boilermakers have gone just 2-3, taking wins over Maryland and Toledo alongside losses to Penn State, Texas A&M, and Auburn.
On Sunday in the Toledo matchup, the Boilermakers came out of halftime sporting a 39-28 edge. Purdue kept it rolling in the second on a 44-36 run and took the victory 83-64 in the end. Braden Smith was the team’s top scorer with 34 points, 12 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 23 points with six rebounds and a pair of assists, while Fletcher Loyer had 17 points, three assists and three rebounds.
This year Purdue’s Kaufman-Renn is the leading scorer. He’s got 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in 13 appearances. Smith is second with 14.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and a team-high 8.6 assists per game. Loyer is sitting at 13.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Betting Preview
Over on the Gophers’ side, they managed a 5-1 run in their first half-dozen outings. Minnesota dispatched Oral Roberts, Omaha, Yale, Cleveland State, and Central Michigan in that time with a lone loss to North Texas. It’s been a struggle for the Gophers since then, however. Over their last seven games, they’re just 3-4. Minnesota’s losses in that span have been versus Wichita State, Wake Forest, Michigan State, and Indiana. The wins otherwise came courtesy of Bethune-Cookman, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Morgan State.
In the Morgan State game on Sunday, the Gophers were in control coming out of the first half with a 55-37 edge. Minnesota kept the pressure on in the second with a 35-31 run and took the eventual victory 90-68. Mike Mitchell led the team with 22 points and five rebounds. Dawson Garcia added 18 points with eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal, while Frank Mitchell came off the bench for 10 points and four rebounds.
Topping the team in scoring so far this year is Garcia. He’s got 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to go along with his 2.0 assists. Mitchell is also in double-figures, making a big impact in six appearances. He’s sitting at 13.3 points and 3.7 assists per game.
Why the Minnesota Golden Gophers will win
- Minnesota has won six of its last seven home games.
- Purdue has lost the first half in four of its last five games.
Why the Purdue Boilermakers will win
- Minnesota has lost each of its last 16 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Purdue has won 12 of its last 13 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Minnesota has lost the first half in each of its last nine home games against AP-ranked opponents.
Minnesota vs Purdue Prediction
I’ll stick with Purdue here, but you could make a case either way. The Boilermakers didn’t have a whole lot of issues versus a middling Toledo team in their last matchup. Purdue hit 49.2 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range in that one, scoring 13 points off 14 Rockets turnovers. The one major statistical blemish was Purdue’s rebounding deficit of 40-33 (17-13 offensive) but it wasn’t enough to squash the momentum.
Prior to that win over Toledo, Purdue had a couple of losses versus tough teams in Texas A&M and Auburn. One was close (70-66 versus Texas A&M); one was not (87-69 versus the Tigers). Prior to those games, the Boilermakers had scored 70 or more points in all but one appearance (58 versus Marquette) this season. Purdue will be in good shape if they can make that threshold here.
As for the Gophers, they shot a nice 51.7 percent from the field in the win over Morgan State. Minnesota has managed 72 or more points in four of the last five games, so Purdue is going to have to hit the gas in order to keep a cover pace. It’ll be a fun game to watch.
